Art Foundations: 12 Monuments

Course Description: This introductory course explores materials and meaning in art.

Directions for Student: Under each of the headings below, replace the example images with your own work, that reflects your understanding of the concepts. You may delete these directions upon completion of the page.

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Bamiyan Buddahs Video

Here is the link to the video that I created about the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddahs. It is most likely the most interesting thing you'll find on this page, so it would be cool if you watched it. 

 

https://youtu.be/xaeBgnhbi_M

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Exploration, Research, and Development of Personal Ideas and Themes

Erin Holston 

December 14th 2015

John Christ 

Art History-12 Monuments 

Plymouth State University 

 

 

New Hampshire is a pretty small state compared to most. Nonetheless, it’s still packed full of American history. Although much of this history only pertains to the state itself, it doesn’t mean that it’s not important and shouldn’t be remembered. The monument I have created would be a large (15ftx15ft) granite plaque in the shape of Mount Washington. Underneath it would be three dates: 1778, 1905, 1939. This structure would be put in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Market Square. 

I chose granite because it is the state rock and has been the basis of New Hampshire culture. For example; in 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, (served beside General George Washington in the American battle for the independence), visited New Hampshire, and referred to New Hampshire as the “Granite State”. Obviously, the name stuck. In the next 100 years, New Hampshire produced millions of tons of granite. That granite was then used for foundations of many important buildings. Granite from New Hampshire has also been used to build many important buildings outside of the state. Some of the more recognizable ones are: Library of Congress, Quincy Market, Tiffany’s,

Tomb of the Unknown Solider, the Brooklyn Bridge, The Pentagon, and some Civil War monuments. This means New Hampshire is literally a part of many other states! 

The granite would be in the shape of Mount Washington because the mountain is a very substantial part of the state. Although it is listen as one of the most dangerous mountains to climb, it still attracts many tourists each year. Very few of these people actually hike the mountain, as there are various, and safer ways, to reach the top. This mountain represents the climb that each day presents for people of the past, present, and future. The mountain may be brutal and dangerous, but the view from the top is like no other. 

The three dates below the initial monument represent very important events. In 1788, New Hampshire was declared as the ninth official state. In 1905, Treaty of Portsmouth signed in Portsmouth, ended Russo-Japanese War. This is one reason why the monument is in Portsmouth. In 1939, the USS Squalus submarine sunk near Portsmouth and twenty-six were killed. Portsmouth was not only chosen because of its historical factors, but for its location. Portsmouth is one of the most visited areas (particularly Market Square) in New Hampshire. When people come and visit, it would be more practical for them to go and see the monument. 

This would be a meaningful experience of it’s visitors because it is a small reminder of what has happened in New Hampshire and the states accomplishments. It’s simplicity and significance holds true to what New Hampshire is all about. 

 

 

Additional Information from: http://nhadulted.org/grants/E17/Granite%20State/reading.pdf 

 

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New Hampshire Monument

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Cross-disciplinary Projects

Erin Holston

November 20th 2015

Art History: 12 Monuments 

John Christ 

Plymouth State University

 

 

 

For centuries, the most common way humans have demonstrated their faith is  by building monuments. Even though it is not on as large of a scale as it used to be, the practice still continues today (i.e churches, museums). In most cases, famous religious monuments are simply used as tourist destinations. Places like the Gothic Cathedral, the Vatican City, and even the Louvre are still considered religious monuments. Between all of these vastly different locations of historical religious practices or showcases, they overall pose very different relationships with religion. 

The exact definition of a monument is: “A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person, event, or religion.” That is exactly what the Gothic Cathedral stands for. It was built to show faith and strength, and to bring glory to God. Today, people still travel to marvel at its brilliant architecture.  The Notre Dame Cathedral was started in 1163, and in that time, it was the ultimate stamp of dedication to God. It took 100 years to complete, and people would travel to reminisce in the Godly sanctuary. Though, throughout time, the meaning of this building has vastly changed. Although it is still used as a church, its use of a tourist area trumps its religious means. This causes much conflict, because it was built as a religious building, many people still want to preserve that. Of course, everyone who files in, are not always in the Christian faith. The Notre Dame Cathedral has drawn a line, evenly dividing the uses of the church for religious and recreational services.

The Vatican City has shown to be one of the biggest forms of religious expression. It is an independent state, as of February 11h 1929. It is the center of Roman Catholicism and is the home of the Pope. The Vatican City demands respect. It, like most other European marvels, is a place of vast tourism. Visitors are requested to dress modestly and respectively. Foregoing extensive security measures before entering. The Vatican holds a sort of aura, everything is very quiet and holds an aspect of deference. That’s something that really makes the Vatican a different place to visit. Not only are you told how the environment and rules go in the city, you are also asked to follow and respect them while within the walls. This proves to be a very broad form of religious expression. Not only is it an example, but altogether an experience of the Roman Catholic religion. 

“The first royal "Castle of the Louvre" on this site was founded by Philippe II in 1190, as a fortress to defend Paris on its west against Viking attacks. In the 14th century, Charles V turned it into a palace of the arts, but Francois I and Henri II tore it down to build a real palace; the foundations of the original fortress tower are now under the Salle des Cariatides (Room of the Caryatids).” In our day and age the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. Last year, 8.8 million people filed through to look at one of the biggest collections of historical art.

Art is the other leading way to show devotion or explain the ways of a religion. Most of the pieces in the museum, were created to document a specific event. With the Louvre being such a large tourist area, lots of these pieces are looked at simply because they are old and historical. Their religious meaning is gone because their age has outgrown them. When art is taken out and simply looked at because it was made in a different time, it’s easy for people to overlook it’s meaning and simple marvel at it because it is old. Which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but art is created with meaning, and that meaning should remain and be respected. 

What is really interesting about religious monumentality, representation, and expression, is that mixing the three could create the perfect brew of religious contentment. Whether it would be in a building, a religious city, or museum, having these elements would properly keep a stable religion. The only issue is, is that it’s hard. They would all have to have equal parts, or else they would clash. For example, if there is a religious monument that is too big of a representation for the religion itself, it could be considered more important that the religion. Take the same monument and make it the perfect balance of religious monumentality and representation. If that building shows so much religious expression that the expression of the building becomes more important than the building or the representation itself, it contradicts and the religion becomes more confusing. That’s why most monuments are either one or the other, especially in our time. We’ve simplified the meanings of these religious characteristics because it makes it easier to try and understand that religion, or maybe even look past the religion all together. 

 

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Aesthetic and Critical Theory

Erin Holston

Art History 12 Monuments 

John Christ

October 19th 2015

Plymouth State University

 

 

                Power to the People

 

Power to the people? More like power to the dead. All of our recently investigated  monuments have one thing in common. They are hundreds of years old, and the people who built them are long gone. One of the main reasons why we protect and restore/rebuild most of these monuments, is to remember the history of the people who have created and used them. It’s not the building themselves that are amazing, it’s all the work and thinking put in by the people. These people have created social landmarks that pull a current in the way that our world turns. Even long after they’re gone, they still hold much power over our society. Their creations bring in revenue, promote world travel, and get millions of dollars put in for renovations and repairs. 

The Acropolis in Athens was built in the fifth century. It was built for the goddess Athena. In many ways, the Acropolis is a symbol to the Greek civilization. It indicates the beginning of the Western civilization and democracy. Its power is in its history, this building explains much of the Greeks background and to let the building deteriorate would be disrespectful to the Greeks backgrounds. The same applies to The Great wall of China. It was built to keep people out. Now it’s used to bring people in. But what make it so special? The Great Wall is the longest human-made structure at over 4,000 miles! Destruction of the wall would be insulting to China’s history and the people that created it. 

Teotihuacan was established around 100 B.C. It was one of the largest cities in the ancient world. Initially, the city itself held power against the people living in it. Since it was considered the “birthplace” of the sun it was considered holy, and manmade structures were used for worship. Now, it’s not used for worship but as a tourist attraction. People gather to understand the way that it’s ancestors lived and what they believed. Teotihuacan, since such a large number of people used to live there, is a very important city. The artifacts left over are cherished and studied to grasp a hold of the people of the ancient city.

In 544 AD, along the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan, two buddhas were carved. Standing at about fifty-seven meters high, the Buddahs were quite the masterpieces. On occasion, thousands of monks would meditate in the caves among the cliffs. Before they were destroyed, they would bring in fifty to sixty thousand tourists yearly. They were destroyed over religious controversy. It was complained that they were being used in worship as if they were god(s) themselves instead of merely representing them. The power that the buddhas had on the people was more religious. They were intended to be a place of worship but it became unsettling when they themselves became the objects of worship. 

The Colosseum is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world. The structure of the building in itself isn’t anything too extraordinary. It’s the size and capacity of the building that is particularly intriguing. The Colosseum can hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people. But it’s what happened inside of the Colosseum that is where it’s history was born from. The building was designed for gladiator contests and public spectacles. Today, the Colosseum brings in around thirty-nine million dollars just in ticket sales. The structure has been restored, repaired to keep the everlasting history of the Roman ancestors alive and dwelling. 

The most common thing that all these monuments have in common, is that we are protecting them to encapsulate the history of the humans that built and used them. The power that these structures have in our society is derived from the people who created them. It could be seen humors to the creators to see how we’ve, seemingly, enslaved ourselves to these bits of history. Nonetheless, it’s not the worst thing to attach ourselves to. History shouldn’t just live on the internet and in paper. 

 

*All sources are from the sites and information that we have been using on Moodle. Each corresponding with their own subject.* 

 

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Historical and Contemporary Developments in Art

Erin Holston

November 2nd 2015

John Christ

Art History 12 Foundations 

Plymouth State University

 

        Angkor Wat

In the Siem Reap region of Cambodia, around A.D. 1113 and 1150, the Temples of Angkor were built. The builder, was a king named Suryavarman II. He achieved his power by killing his great uncle. Suryavarman’s violence lead to contributed to his efforts to gain more control. He respected the god Vishnu and thus lead to the instillation of a in Angkor Wat’s central tower. 

The architecture of Angkor Wat was very artistic and included lots of work. Around the structure is a 650 foot wide moat that is more than three miles long. The moat is thirteen feet deep and was initially built to stabilize the buildings foundation.

As the names means “temple city” the overall structure contains five towers. The largest being in the center. 

Angkor Wat has stood for many things. Initially, it was dedicated to the god Vishnu. In the sixteenth century, the building was abandoned. By the seventeenth century, action within the temple picked back up as it was lightly being used as a Buddhist temple. In the nineteenth century, a few european tourists dribbled through the area as it became more popular. Lastly, in the twentieth century, Angkor Wat began going under restoration, the work was briefly disrupted by the civil war. 

Angkor Wat has served as a religious area but more modernly it has become a popular tourist site. It is a large part of Cambodia’s history. It is seen as a symbol of pride and been included in their national flags since 1863. But now, there is an issue with the amount of love and attention Angkor Wat is receiving. 640,000 foreign tourists saw Angkor in the first three months of 2012. There are problems arising because of the number of people going through the ancient site. People are unknowingly destroying all of the structures by providing additional wear and tear, causing the site to age with much acceleration. 

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Principles and Elements of Design

Erin Holston 

Art History 12 Monuments 

December 1st 2015 

John Christ

Plymouth State University

 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC was very quickly built in 1982. Construction started on March 26th and ended when the area opened that November. The black marble walls containing over 58,000 names of American casualties draws in nearly three million visitors each year. What makes this monument so successful?  

The prime location could play a huge role. Located along the Potomac River, nestled in the mass of Washington DC’s business, lies an area of serenity. It’s clear to see that the city is all around the area, but the area itself is clear and calm. Encased by simplicity, the monument almost serves as an escape from hectic everyday life. Since DC is a largely visited place, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is easy to add on as something to see during a visit. If this monument was located in a more rural, out of place area, its visitation rates would be much lower. 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is very personal. Lots of monuments are hundreds of years old, and are easily connected to ancestors from long before. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is recent and there is still pain from the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It is one of the few places where people can go and directly relate to the event that caused the monument to be built. This provides a very different and real experience. Also, this monument is built out of respect. People go and visit it for the same manner. It almost serves as a very public cemetery, where even if the person going doesn’t know the names on the marble, they know what they stand for and understand that there is pain behind each name. 

To compare it with another recent war memorial, such as the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, shows how differently they each receive attention. The National D-Day Memorial was finished on June 6th 2001. This monument on average receives 55,000 visitors each year. Why is this so vastly different? Is this memorial much less important than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial? This difference is mainly caused by location and size. Bedford is a much less visited area than DC. DC draws in more tourists because of it’s many attractions. Also, the size of the monuments is substantial compared to each other. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a mere 2 acres while the National D-Day Memorial is 88 acres. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is much easier to take a stroll around and in a timely manner, especially if the viewers have children. Also, one other thing to take into consideration is that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is free of charge, while the National D-Day Memorial costs $17 in attendance. 

 

 

 

 

Additional information about National D-Day Memorial: https://www.dday.org/the-memorial/the-vision.html

 

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Writing about Art

Erin Holston 

October 25th 2015

John Christ

Plymouth State University

 

The builders and artisans of the Gothic period constructed the Notre-Dame de Chartres or Notre-Dame de Paris the way they did to make a more open house for God. They wanted to create these buildings to let in the light of God and draw out the darkness. Something very distinctive about these buildings is that, from an aerial view, they are shaped like a cross. They were built this way so that God could look down and  see the church. To broaden architectural horizons, pointed arches, derived from Islamic architect from Spain, were created. The pointed arches help focus the weigh of the building in different areas so that the pillars could be thinner, thus allowing more room inside of the building. “The slender columns and lighter systems of thrust allowed for larger windows and more light. The windows, tracery, carvings, and ribs make up a dizzying display of decoration that one encounters in a Gothic church” (Valerie Spanswick, Khan Academy). 

Restoration should only be applied to the aspects of the building that pose some danger to the visitors or has an indication of severe deterioration. Much of this restoration will come off as modernizing, and drawing away the certain “feel” and history the church has. People travel from all around the world to see this church and to get an idea of what it looked like to the people of it’s time, and its aging just adds to its history and legacy.

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